20/12/2017 People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development Creates Social and Economic Benefits | World Resources Institute

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People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development Creates Social and Economic Benefits

People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development

Creates Social and Economic Benefits
by Luis Zamorano and Erika Kulpa - July 23, 2014

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The “People-oriented Cities” series—

exclusive to TheCityFix and Insights—
is an exploration of how cities can
grow to become more sustainable and
livable through transit-oriented
development (TOD). The nine-part
series will address different urban
design techniques and trends that
reorient cities around people rather Mixed-use development combined with
than cars. pedestrianization on Mexico City’s Calle Madero
promotes sustainable, prosperous communities.
Photo Credit: Julius Reque/Flickr.

Mumbai, India can be a commuter’s

nightmare. Downtown sits a full 10 miles from the residential core, and the two
areas are poorly linked by public transport. Mumbaikars have the longest commute
of any Indian city resident, averaging more than 47 minutes each way every day.
This fragmented urban development has pushed car ownership in the city to rise by
an astonishing 3,700 percent in the past 60 years, clogging roadways and polluting
the air.
Travel to New York City and the landscape is much different. A single city block
houses a mix of restaurants, office buildings, residences, and shops. This type of
development—known as “mixed-use development”—makes it easy to use public
transport, walk, or bike, helping to efficiently connect the city’s neighborhoods
through sustainable transport. The portion of commuters relying on cars in the city
fell from 90 percent to 59 percent between 2010 and 2011.

MENU
These two cities showcase an emerging urban design lesson: Sprawling cities
decrease quality of life; compact, mixed-use developments yield economic and
What We Do social benefits.

Where We Work
Sprawling and Segregated: The Cost of Disconnected Cities
Publications

Maps & Data

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20/12/2017 People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development Creates Social and Economic Benefits | World Resources Institute

The proliferation of zoning at the beginning of the 20th century contributed to

Blog
sprawling cities around the world. Residential neighborhoods sprouted on the
News urban periphery and in suburbs, giving rise to car-dependent commuter towns. City
centers languished, shopping malls replaced commercial streets, and the urban
Events
poor were segregated from the wealthy elite.
About
These sprawling cities are increasingly common in developing nations. For
DONATE example, Mexico’s history of dispersion created thousands of single-family houses
on the outskirts of cities. The sheer distance to everyday destinations means some
families spend 25 percent of their income on transport. This type of design
Climate
increased Mexico City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 70 percent and
Energy costs USD 2.5 billion (33 billion pesos) each year in lost economic productivity.

Food Connected Communities Improve Health, Environment, and

Forests Economies
Water Mixed-use development works against these trends to create inclusive, connected
communities. In mixed-use areas, you can find housing, restaurants, services,
Cities
schools, cultural facilities, parks, and more. This connectivity reduces the need for
BUSINESS private vehicles, thus increasing the viability of public transport, walking, and
Enter a term
ECONOMICS bicycling. For example, Mexico City’s longest street, Avenida Insurgentes, is home
FINANCE to a range of services, residences, and businesses, but traffic congestion initially
GOVERNANCE made the street difficult to access. For these reasons, local decision-makers chose
Insurgentes as the site for the city’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) system, Metrobús.
After the launch of Metrobús in 2005, 100,000 daily car trips were replaced by
sustainable transport, easing congestion and reducing the city’s GHG emissions by
hundreds of thousands of tons.

Everyday needs should be close enough to residential neighborhoods that they can be reached by
walking, bicycling, or public transport. Photo Credit: EMBARQ.

By reducing the need for vehicle travel, mixed-use development also brings shared
community space. Plazas, parks, and sidewalks foster interaction among
community members—interaction that wouldn’t be safe or possible under a
sprawled, car-centric design model. One landmark study of San Francisco
compared three neighborhoods identical except for the levels of vehicle traffic on
their streets. It revealed that residents of the neighborhood with the lowest level of
car traffic had three times as many friends and twice as many acquaintances as
their more heavily trafficked counterparts.
Finally, mixed-use, public transit-friendly neighborhoods benefit local economies.
They save individuals money on transportation by reducing the length and number
of everyday trips and eliminating the need for car ownership. Mixed-use
development also supports local businesses by increasing foot traffic. Transport for
London found that pedestrians spend up to 60 percent more money at businesses
each month than those traveling by car, while spending less on transportation.
Combining mixed-use development with pedestrianization—or closing some areas
to cars to promote more walking—reinforces these benefits.

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20/12/2017 People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development Creates Social and Economic Benefits | World Resources Institute

Human-scale neighborhoods encourage different activities and social interaction,

recreating the streets and sidewalks as viable public spaces. Photo Credit:
EMBARQ.

Growing Cities and Sustainable, Mixed-Use

Development
According to the World Health Organization, cities will hold 70 percent of the
world’s population by 2050. About 96 percent of this growth will occur in
developing countries, demanding quality urban spaces and services. As current
cities expand and new ones crop up, it’s important for local leaders, urban
planners, and citizens to examine what works. Compact, car-light cities spur
economic growth, social cohesion, and quality of life.

LEARN MORE: Stay tuned for the next entry in the “People-oriented Cities” series,
which will address vehicle-demand management. For more on sustainable cities and
the transit-oriented development paradigm, download EMBARQ’s Transit-oriented
Development Guide for Urban Communities.

TAGS:
bus rapid transit (BRT), asia, cities, India, mexico, Mexico City, Mumbai, pedestrianization, people-
oriented cities, sustainable cities, sustainable development, transit-oriented development (TOD),
transport, transportation

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20/12/2017 People-Oriented Cities: Mixed-Use Development Creates Social and Economic Benefits | World Resources Institute

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